30 years ago Disneyland guests first found their laughing place when Splash Mountain opened at the Happiest Place on Earth! Since then, guests have enjoyed the music, comedy, adventure, and of course, the big splash at the end as they visit friends from The Song of the South.
Splash Mountain was originally envisioned by Imagineer Tony Baxter in 1983. The original idea was to add another draw to Bear Country where the Country Bear Jamboree was the only attraction. The idea was to utilize animatronics from America Sings, which wasn’t performing well, coupled with the directive by Dick Nunis to create a log flume attraction. The combination inspired Baxter to come up with an attraction based on The Song of the South.
Construction on Splash Mountain began in April of 1987. With the development of the attraction, animatronics from America Sings were indeed used on the attraction. However, the main characters were fabricated for the attraction. The attraction utilizes the songs How Do You Do, Ev’rybody Has a Laughing Place, Burrow’s Lament, and Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Da. Other songs from Song of the South are included as background instrumental music in the attraction.
The attraction had its grand opening on July 17, 1989. The opening didn’t go as smoothly as planned. While guests were supposed to get a little bit wet, instead they found themselves getting drenched. And most of the people getting drenched for the grand opening were Disney executives. This led to the logs having to get redesigned so guests wouldn’t get as drenched.
Splash Mountain Fun Facts
- Splash Mountain drops guests in the final plunge 50 feet down the outside of Splash Mountain as they plummet into the briar patch.
- The drop on Splash Mountain can reach speeds up to 40 miles per hour.
- The Splash Mountain barn is filled with quotes and sayings from Uncle Remus.
- The showboat in Splash Mountain is 50 feet wide and 30 feet high.
- The flume course spans nearly a half-mile and is more than 2,800 feet long.
- Splash Mountain itself is 87 feet tall.
Splash Mountain POV Ride Thru
What’s your favorite part of Splash Mountain? Where do you like to sit on it? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
